Dr. R. Hood on Coldingham Priory. 253 



laboured here, and been successful in converting the Pagans to 

 the Christian worship. But it might be at a later period, by 

 St. Ninian, or even still later, by St. Colome in a.d. 570. 



No mention is made of nuns existing there previous to the 

 arrival of St. Ebb at Coldbury Head, now called St. Ebb's Head, 

 but, from the undoubted authority of Bede, she was installed 

 superintendent over the monastery, which then, at least, must 

 have been a double one. She died in a.d. 679, and soon after 

 her death the edifice was accidentally consumed by fire. The 

 foundation, strong and massy, of a building still remains on 

 the verge of a precipice that overhangs the ocean, and on a hill 

 at a little distance the foundations of a church are still discern- 

 ible, surrounded with a burying-ground, which was used within 

 the last hundred years for interments. 



All doubt concerning the site of the next building is set aside 

 by the discovery of its ruins within the present church, the 

 foundations of the chancel having been come upon during 

 the recent excavations that have taken place in executing the 

 present renovations. They consist of a wall, finely stuccoed inside 

 and out, which is shown in the Plan (PI. III.), running parallel 

 with, and within, the north, and under the south wall. The 

 east end is circular, and the west opened with an arch, probably 

 in connexion with a nave, all traces of which, however, are ob- 

 literated. The foundations of the pillars which had supported 

 the arch were exposed, but, from their low position, as well as 

 the foundations, had to be covered up again. 



This building stood till about a.d. 870, when it was burned 

 by the Danes, and the nuns butchered with savage cruelty ; but 

 as no mention is made of monks, it seems that this building 

 had contained nuns only, seeing that, if there had been monks, 

 they would not have escaped the barbarity of the invaders, It 

 is almost needless to conjecture what the structure of the nun- 

 nery had been, as we have nothing but the foundations of the 

 body of the chancel to guide us ; but from these we ascertain 

 that it had been well and solidly built of stone and lime, and 

 not of wood, and, from the walls being plastered outside, that 

 the body of the chancel had had aisles. 



A little more than two hundred years after the ravage of the 

 Danes, a.d. 1098, King Edgar founded the Priory of Colding- 

 ham, and richly endowed it. He procured a detachment of Be- 

 nedictine monks from Durham to occupy it, and dedicated the 

 building to the three saints, Cuthbert, Mary, and Ebb. Suc- 

 ceeding kings and nobles bequeathed also liberally, so that the 

 Prior drew rents from the greater part of Berwickshire, then 

 called Coldingham shire. Mr. Carr, in his very paius-taking 

 History, states the name of the first Prior, he could find on 



